The Jackets got a much-needed win last night over the Red Wings and one win can do wonders to a teams’ psyche. They had dropped its last nine in a row and that’s rather remarkable for such a talented group. Now they’ll head to Long Island to play the Islanders, a team they’ve had great success against and they’ll get two new bodies in the line-up as well. Chris Clark and Milan Jurcina will join their new team and this appears to be a very good move for both teams. Clark is a leader that will provide some energy and could even resurrect his career after his minutes were way down in Washington. He’s a former 30-goal man and he has to be thrilled about getting another chance where he’s needed more. Jurcina will provide the team with a little more stability behind the blue line and that, too, is something the Jackets need. After that inspiring win last night, combined with its two new acquisitions, the Jackets should be fired up and ready to go despite playing its third game in four nights. Incidentally, the Jackets are 7-1-2 in its last 10 games vs the Islanders. Play: Columbus +1.24 (Risking 2 units).
Chicago -½ +1.17 over DALLAS
It’s usually not a good idea to lay a half puck on the road but this one has a Blackhawk victory written all over it and thus, I’ll take my chances. First, the Stars are not going so good right now with just three wins in its last 10 games. By contrast, the Blackhawks have won six of its last seven. Chicago leads the NHL with 55 points and right now Patrick Kane is one of the hottest players in the league. Chicago leads the NHL in goals scored and goals against, not to mention shots on goal against per game, which now stands at just 24. Furthermore, Marty Turco will return to the lineup after missing two games with the flu and not only has he been shaky this year, he also is at a psychological disadvantage here after going 0-3 against Chicago last season with a 4.19 GAA and a lousy .880 save percentage. It’s simply not the best scenario for his return, albeit a short one. Lastly, the Blackhawks have played Dallas just once this season and lost 4-3 and you know for sure that’s not sitting well with them. The Blackhawks are the straight goods and you pretty much have to play a near flawless game to beat them and right now the Stars are nowhere close to being flawless. Play: Chicago -½ +1.17 (Risking 2 units).
This number seems awfully high for these two combatants, as neither can score and both need to play defense in order to win. The Pacers will go on a prolonged scoring drought for sure, maybe even two or three of them, as they’re virtually a collective bunch of poor shooters. Take Danny Granger out of the equation and the Bulls will force others besides Dunleavy to knock ‘em down. The Pacers can’t play good defense but will have to here for any chance whatsoever. Besides, the Bulls struggle offensively as well but at least they play hard and at the very least they play good defense. So, if this one does go over you can be damn sure the Bulls will cover because the Pacers are not capable of scoring 90 against this host. Indiana might even be hard-pressed to reach 85. A lot of good things offensively will have to happen for this one to go over and frankly, it’s hard to imagine that happening. Play: Indiana/Chicago under 194 (Risking 2.10 units to win 2).
Cleveland +1.23 over ATLANTA
Is there a team in the NBA playing better than the Cav’s right now? I think not. The Cav’s are winning with such ease it’s almost scary. They blew away the Rockets in its last game by 25 points two days after beating the Lakers by 15 in L.A. on Christmas day. They also went into Phoenix last week and barely broke a sweat in a 19-point win and that was the Suns only home loss of the year thus far. The Cav’s also have a huge psychological edge here, as they’ve beaten up on the Hawks game after game after game. In fact, they’ve beaten Atlanta six straight and the last four have all been by double-digits. Now the Cav’s are on fire and frankly, for the first meeting of the year between these two, the Hawks couldn’t have caught them at a worse time. Atlanta is good but they’re not in the same class as the Cav’s, especially right now and it’s also worth noting that the Hawks return home from a four-game trip tonight. Play: Cleveland +1.23 (Risking 2 units).
MISSISSIPPI –22½ Over Jacksonville State
I’m going to preface this wager by saying it’s never a good idea to consistently lay large numbers throughout the season but in this case the talent disparity between these two teams is too large to ignore. The sad truth for Jacksonville State is that if not for shrewd scheduling they would be winless this season, as two of their wins have come against Division 2 opponents West Alabama and Reinhardt, and the rest have come against awful Georgia Southern, Tennessee Tech, and Norfolk State. Their defensive numbers against a laughable schedule are gruesome, as they rank 8th from the bottom in defensive efficiency and allow opponents to shoot 50% from two. Mississippi is a tournament team this year and while they might not win it, a sweet sixteen birth is possible for this team. Ole Miss has three NBA prospects including potential lottery pick Jarvis Varnado, who averages an eye-popping five blocks a game. The best thing about this wager is that Mississippi State is coming off a loss to West Virginia and won’t coast through this one. They are the better team in every facet of the game and add the motivation factor and this one should get ugly very fast. Play: #590 Mississippi –22½ (Risking 2.12 units to win 2).
Liberty/CENTRAL FLORIDA under 130
Any time a team shoots under 30% from three and under 45% from two as the Liberty Flames do it’s going to get my attention. Liberty is 6-6 and played their last “real” game on December 5th against Coastal Carolina, which they lost 73-58. Liberty’s offense is atrocious but that doesn’t seal an under wager. What really peeks my attention is the fact that Liberty can actually defend a little bit, as opponents shoot 35% from three and score 98.5 points per 100 possessions against them. Central Florida is a team we have wagered on before and their strengths lie in their defense. They allow opponents to shoot 29.9% from three and 47.6% from two and have been victims of bad luck at the free throw line as opponents have shot 72% against them. Central Florida should have no problem winning this game and the game plan to do so is relatively simple. Keep Liberty at bay on offense and run the half court offense as efficiently as possible. With both these teams playing in character, this under should hit. Play: #564 Liberty/Central Florida under 130 (Risking 2.16 units to win 2).
Sports Wagers 12/29
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